One rainy day, as usual, the local bus company had a repair spot on the street in front of the Taiwanese police station at the top of Road One in Tien Mu. After doing a brake job on one of their busses, one of their 12 year old mechanics took the bus down our street to test the brake job.He jumped on the brakes, the bus went 90 degrees left, off the road and into our master bedroom, narrowly missing our yard boy. When we got home, the Taiwanese Police were there and a very nice Taiwanese Police Sergeant told us that the bus company was owned, not by a Taiwanese but by a Chinese man and if we wanted our house repaired as well as compensation for the destroyed furniture in the bedroom we shouldn't let the bus company take the bus until AFTER we have been paid.Sure enough, the next day, a big black American sedan pulled up and out got a very officious Chinese and his driver/translator who informed us that it was his bus and a tow truck was on the way to get it. Remembering what the Taiwanese Police sergeant said, we told the bus company owner that they could have their bus ONLY after we had been paid for our damages. Much yelling, faces reddening and translations later, the bus company owner demanded his bus. I calmly told him that I was going to the Taiwanese Police station to get their help and, unless and until we were paid, we were going to keep their bus exactly where it was and, if necessary, I was going to paint it green and make a flower planter out of it. This was translated to the Chinese man and I thought he was going to have a heart attack.At about this time, the Taipei newspaper crew showed up and started taking pictures of the bus in our house and the Chinese bus owner immediately agreed to pay anything we wanted and we agreed and said he could have his bus when we got paid. The next day the same Chinese gentlemen showed up, cash in hand, followed by his tow truck.Ah yes, just another Taipei tale. One must have a sense of humor to last for 4 years in Taipei.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Bus Stop
Here's another one from Jim Sartor:
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1 comment:
Our BOT house also got hit by city bus #3 on Chung Shan Bai Lu jumped the divider and threw the brick wall and plowed into our carport and into kitchen where our aahma and baby were.
This was either late 1973 or early 1974. The photos are lost but it caused quite a commotion in the neighborhood when the military police asked my husband if it was his house that hit a Chinese bus.
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